It is a privilege to cast my vote!

​   Next week, we the people of the United States of America, will have the opportunity to cast our ballot for the President of the United States and various other state and national offices.
    What a privilege and honor.
    There is no other country in the world that gives us this right.
    I am so thankful for the forward-thinking vision of our Founding Fathers and the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
   I’m not going to try to persuade you to cast a vote for one candidate or party over the other. That is personal choice and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
     However, I will say that I am not in favor of early voting or even voting by mail. I think it opens the door for fraud and no telling what else. We’ve all heard and read stories of missing ballots and the such.
      I would like to get back to the day when we voted on voting day. Maybe make it a holiday.
    I remember as a kid growing up in Tulsa going to the polls with my parents. They voted at the Safeway Television Repair shop at the corner of 15th and Florence, one block from my boyhood home. Voting was from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
      My folks would carry me to the voting location and I had the opportunity to play with a toy voting machine while they cast their ballots. I remember the old voting machines with levers and the curtain that you pulled around you. 
       My mom leaned more Republican while my dad leaned more Democrat. I remember my folks getting into a few fusses and disagreements through the years, but never about voting.
       They voted and neither of them talked about it before or afterwards.
    It’s not that way these days, at least for some. With social media, we are bombarded with ads, news, opinions 24-7. People get upset, pass the blame, point the finger, get crazy and they write about it on Twitter, Facebook and every other social media platform.
     A couple weeks ago, I asked Debbie to remove Twitter from my cell phone for me. I get up at 5:15 a.m., thanks to Debbie, to shower and get ready for work. I always pick up my phone and when I had Twitter, my message inbox was filled with a dozen political tweets.
     I want to hear something good to start my day, like how much God loves me or how I can do somethin good for another person, not all the rubbish.
     I still have a Twitter account, but I don’t use it much. I may have made a half dozen tweets through the years. I’m kind of old school, I only have a couple dozen followers. If I want to tell them something, I’ll send them an email, message them on Facebook or call.
     I do enjoy Facebook and like to post a funny every day. I enjoy posting my accomplishments, family photos and positive sayings. I stay away from politics. With nearly 2,000 friends, I have quite a network. And the funny thing is, I really do know them.
     That reminds me of some years ago when I was doing a photo story on Danny Carroll of Grinnell at the Iowa State Capitol when he served Poweshiek County as a state representative. I arrived at the Capitol around 7 a.m. I followed Danny around for a while and met one person I knew and then another. After a bit, Danny turned to me and said, “How many people do you know?”
     A bunch and I’m thankful for each and every one of you!
     Don’t forget to vote next Tuesday. 
     Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.